Good Afternoon distinguished guest, and thank you Principal Roberto Hernandez for allowing me to be your keynote speaker for this amazing class of 2017 graduates. I know you must all be excited to get your hands on your Diplomas and run out into the world, but before every one of our graduates take on their new courses of life….. please allow me to provide some insightful thoughts that may help you in your journeys. Yes, all that was mentioned on my introduction is true…. So, please allow me to start and end my speak with the same question… “Who am I? Yes, I was born off the main land of the Untied States, in Puerto Rico, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in the late 70’s but it wasn’t until the 80’s where my life was filled with tough choices. My mother was working to support the house and my father was suffering from alcoholism… which meant that my brother, sister and myself were suffering those effects as well. My home was poor but rich with family values. The entire neighborhood was in either the same or similar household struggles. Which developed into friendships. What started off as choice friendships based on tough times quickly developed into clicks, and more offend than not lead into gangs. It become tough to stay out of trouble. Everyday became a challenge to simply walk down a common street. Schools, parks and playgrounds were challenging at times to patronize. I was lucky; gang’s members would invite me to join, and although tough as it was I would
In society today, there is a major problem We live in a society where gangs are taking over our neighborhoods in numbers. It is the responsibility of the individuals to part take in getting their neighborhoods back under control. Gangs are becoming a growing problem in American society. More young people are turning to gangs to solve problems in their lives or for acceptance. When youths join gangs, they drop all their social activities with school, family, and friends. However, individuals ruin their lives, and the chances of them having a decent education, and a successful life by getting involved in gang activity.
Gangs originated naturally during the adolescent years of a child. They started from small play groups that eventually found themselves in conflict with other small groups of youth. Due to the conflict between the two small groups of youth it became a part of a child’s mind set to come together as a gang and protect their rights and satisfy the needs that their environment and families couldn’t provide. There are about 24,500 gangs in the U.S and out of those gangs 40% of them are juveniles (Hess, Orthmann, Wright, 2013). There are numerous reason why a child would join a gang, and the
Qualitative descriptions suggest that, for many, gang membership represents 104 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice / May 2005an opportunity to enhance social capital as a means to cope with a multitude of problems. Although on balance gang life appears to be neither very rewarding nor satisfying (Hagedorn, 1988), identification with the gang is solidified in response to conflict—often with other gangs—as members pursue their individual and collective interests.
The life-course perspective goes into detail about the onset, persistence, and the desistance process and show that there are connections that are present, and once these connections linger, then the relinquishing of the power that gangs have over people is released. These researchers note that often times juveniles are joining particular gangs, participate, and then leave. So, when studying this process, Pyrooz & colleagues’ (2010) found that by using the conceptual framework that life-course perspective adds, we can better understand the organization and the process of how gangs work over time. This research also provided us with an understanding of the ties that members associate with their respective gangs, and just how hard it is to break those ties and let go of the gang lifestyle through the life-course. In regards to these ties, the researchers concluded that leaving a gang can be tumultuous, it is a time of confusion and possible victimization. Another significant finding was that leaving a gang is not the same process for everyone, there are diverse variables that affect individuals differently. If these variables are not taken into consideration, then the ties to the gang and the desistance process is likely to be less successful (Pyrooz & colleagues,
As the author of What’s It Like to be a Gang Member said, “I started in low-level gangs, stealing, peddling goods, getting into fights…” This quote shows that the people living that sort of life can start off small, doing smaller crimes, being in low-level gangs, but eventually, they will be deeper into gang business, and it will be harder for them to leave. They would end up in more trouble, and in a higher-level gang. He also mentions, “there was immense peer pressure to join in, whether you wanted to or not.” As you can see, it’s harder to escape that lifestyle because you keep on doing it more, and you won’t be able to choose if you
Today kids join gangs because they want a sense of being accepted. Being unpopular as an adolescent is tough because they feel unwanted, misunderstood, feel like they don’t belong. Kids will do anything to gain the attention from their peers and will continue to do it just to feel like they belong and feel accepted. I’ve witnessed a friend joined a gang just because their older brothers have done the same and want to be just like them. I’ve seen classmates who recently just migrated to the United States and instantly
Dr. Samenow for example says that teens look for acceptance and love not found at home .He also says gangs resemble family solutions( gang of a lack of family structure) such as friendship , love, and family. Concerning gangs, Samenow points out that not all families living in gang-infested neighborhoods have children who get involved in the gangs. It's common to refer to them as unsocialized, but the dyssocial sociopath does socialize to the mores and values of a dyssocial outgroup, like a gang.That these teens and young adults socialize with similar-minded peers leads to self-reinforcing affinity groups without real boundaries or structures, since the older gang leaders are dead or imprisoned and no longer on the street.Though their
Gangs are becoming prevalent in today’s society and within our schools. More and more young people are turning to gangs in an attempt to escape their everyday lives and the future, which they perceive as dismal and bleak. They are initially attracted to the prestige and cash flow, which is glamorized by the street gang. Many gangs are actively involved in criminal misconduct, such as drug and gun trafficking, burglaries and homicides. However, street gangs are not just a criminal justice issue, but a social problem, which is triggered by poverty, peer pressure, boredom, despair and lacking a sense of belonging.
The sociological analysis of gang membership explores the different types of effects that arise due to criminal involvement. Because of the social conflicts that are associated with gang membership, this paper will explore the different theories of social learning and both personal and control issues that relate to the recent surge in crime across Chicago. As we open the doors of a crime ridden society, the truth begins to unfold. It isn’t just the thought of helping, it is the action that remains the barrier between living a life of crime or a life that carries hope.
There are kids that one might consider a bad crowd, which are the wrong kids to become friends with. These kids are just beginning to start a life of crime, although some won’t grow up to be gang members others will and they will try there hardest to take you with them. It’s also very hard to stay away from these kids because the can be very deceivingly friendly and fun to be around but that’s just a mask to hide the evil underneath. It’s really sad to see some kids that never fit in become recruited by the bad kids because it will only be a matter of time before the kid that never fit in soon becomes the kid that sells drugs.
Abstract: This review studies in depth research done on street gangs. Social issues have social scientists turning away from including this in their research around this time. Sociological views have been changed dramatically in the past 40 years due to gender and racial studies. Also, women have started to join gangs since America has been changed with woman equality laws passing.
Good evening T-Bird Nation! I like to welcome Yucaipa-Calimesa Joint Untfied School District Board of Education, the staff of Yucaipa High School, family, and friends to observe the successful Class of 2017 walk across the threshold into the frightening, yet ecstatic Real World. It is a honor to be selected to share words of wisdom with my fellow graduates. Hopefully, the nongraduates here today will be inclined to listen as well.
Hello, we would like to welcome and thank all of you for being here with us tonight to celebrate our high school graduation . It truly is an honor to be surrounded by so many significant people who have impacted our lives immensely throughout our highschool years. We would like to thank the wonderful people here tonight that we have the privilege to call our parents. Whether you are a mother a father, grandma or grandpa, or an aunt or an uncle; we are here, graduating today because of all of you.
To Our school board, chairman, Principal Dr. Marjorie Fullerton, Vice Principals, Teachers, Parents, Guardians, visitors, students and fellow graduates of the class of 2017. A Pleasant Afternoon. It is an honor to speak to you on this special occasion. I would like to start off by graciously thanking my parents for being there for me and giving me the opportunity of getting an education, I truly appreciate it. My teachers for instilling in me the knowledge I needed for successfully passing my examinations, my friends for being supportive and giving me unforgettable memories at this institution and last but not least God for giving me the strength and vigor I needed throughout my high school years.
To our outstanding guest-speaker, Dr. Florentina R. Lizano, firm yet caring director Mr. Antonio Punzalan, ever-calm and patient directress Mrs. Angelita Punzalan, dynamic principal Mrs. Joy Mercado, kind and warm faculty and staff, ever-supportive parents, gratified fellow graduates, Good Evening!